Tag Archives: Japanese

So I’ve only been back to classes for one week and I already feel like I’m in the thick of study! This semester is my final one for my Bachelor’s course…it’s a bit of a doozy so I’ve tried to pick my classes well. Only one face-to-face is a plus as I get to manage my own Continue reading →

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One of the questions I get asked a lot when people hear my blog’s name is “what’s your favourite ramen?” Well, to answer this in short is a little difficult since the asker usually means ramen of the instant variety, whereas my ramen-love is towards the non-instant kind (think miso, tonkotsu, shio ramen at a Japanese ramen joint. Continue reading →

Feenin’ for some ramen? Yeah, me too. This wet weather has me craving for some slurpy noodles and soup to warm my throat. If you’re around the CBD, this little joint just across from Azuma Patisserie off George could hit the spot.

Ton Ton is a takeaway shop with some of the Japanese standards, plus a pretty diverse and homey ramen menu. They had some new editions when I was there: mabo tofu ramen (with spicy minced pork) and spicy nira ramen.

We tried the nira (spicy minced pork & bean paste?) and karaage ramen, with some gyoza on the side.

Yes, yes you’re probably wondering whether I even love ramen. But the truth is there’s not much good ramen around Parramatta (that I know of…if you got the scoop lemme know), and I don’t make it into the city as much as I would like.

So when the opportunity does show itself, the best place I can think of to eat a steamy bowl of ramen is Gumshara in the Eating World food court in Chinatown.
I won’t dive into to much detail — there are some great posts around.

Gumshara’s menu is pretty straightforward — pick your broth, pick some toppings if you want. Grab your number, then some chopsticks and a spoon from the communal food-court cutlery buckets and wait. Anxiously. For like 3-5 minutes. After your order comes up you can add some condiments, which are complimentary and sitting on the end of the bench. Some toasted sesame seeds and pickled ginger go nicely.

Miso Ramen

The tonkotsu broth (which you can read about in other posts if you like) is thick with collagen — a product of boiling pork bones and marrow down for hours. Yes, I said hours. It’s slurpy, salty and great for winter. The noodles have a bit of bite to them (perfect) and will fatten in the hot broth if you eat it improperly (meaning if you don’t devour it in less than 10 minutes).

Tonkotsu Ramen w/ extra boiled eggs

The famous bowl I haven’t tried yet (stupid me) is the special pork spare rib ramen — they apparently make only 10 bowls a day but.

In addition — Gumshara is a cheap eat — around $10-12 a bowl (give or take for extras). If Eating World is busy the place gets swarmed with international Uni students & Japanese hipsters.

Oh no! That wonton soup was so good, but my buddy and I are stuck with a couple dozen extra dumplings from the recipe. Not that this is really a tragedy…they’re so yummy we just need a creative way to reuse them.

Enter gyoza!

Gyoza have been one of my favourite little treats since I was first introduced to them as a six year old by a Japanese exchange student. Gyoza are Japanese pot stickers, and they’re my perfect solution for leftover wontons from that noodle soup made earlier.

Method:

Heat a wok, grill, skillet, whatever over medium high heat with a splash of vegetable oil.
Take how ever many puffy clouds of wonton goodness you have leftover (see recipe here…) and, cooking in batches, pan fry one side of the dumplings in the oil. When the bottom side is golden and crispy pour in about 1/2 cup water or so (guesstimate this one!) and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the wontons to steam until all the water has evaporated. When the water is all gone the bottom will begin to crisp up again. Remove from the pan and serve piping hot with plain rice and sauce (see recipe below).

Mix well the vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and sesame oil in a small bowl.
Place a wok or fry pan on high heat and add the chillies. Toast for a minute or two until they begin to become golden. Add in the vegetable oil and fry until the aromas are released. Pour the chillies and oil directly from the wok to the sauce mixture in the bowl. Beware! It will sizzle, but then the aroma of the hot chilli oil quickly heating the sauces and garlic will waft at you like no other!
Dip your wontons/gyoza/dumplings in the sauce and enjoy.